The Thing That Feels by Hannah Fury

She works in charcoal tones and daguerreotype tints.

Five of Thing's songs are based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Fury takes on the psyche and voice of the green-skinned sorceress. These are songs of quiet madness and gentle obsession; like Maguire's novel, these songs suggest that the witch's crimes were based on insanity and loss of faith rather than evil. "I follow her [Dorothy] down the Yellow Brick Road / Chasing her now, for revenge, I suppose / She causes destruction wherever she goes" is one lyric. "And Your Little Dog Too" sounds particularly unsettling, with Fury's lightly processed voice creepily admonishing a child to surrender the Ruby Slippers.

Her love songs are like Farrow's twisted valentines; unrequited love and regret. Fury is an idealist in a cynic's clothing. "Away" appropriately moves away from the theme of romantic obsession; it's a lament for the late Jeff Buckley that weaves imagery of angels and muddy rivers into a song of transcendence. The closing song, "The Vampire Waltz," uses the scenario of a woman becoming a vampire as a metaphor for romantic ennui and disappointment.

The Thing That Feels is a rich, complex album in spite of its sparseness - one song is augmented by a bass, the other a cello. Beauty and darkness reside together, often illuminated by the spark of caustic wit."

- Craig L. Gidney (Ethereality, spoonfed:amerika)

"...Hannah Fury's minimal approach creates an elegant atmosphere of melancholy and Victorian beauty ... The Thing That Feels is a truly enchanting experience."

(Rating: 5 out of 5)

- Octavia (Outburn)

"...she pares her sound down to piano and voice, adding color by overdubbing ethereal cries and whispers, haunting the songs like a ghost ... She's more interested in direct communication than poetic wordplay, stripping her lyrics down to their emotional essence ... The narrator of "Not Like You" (a song inspired by the Marvel Comics character Man-Thing) wraps loneliness around himself like a comforting cloak, while the singer of "Away" finds hope even in death. In a five-song set based on Wicked, Gregory Maguire's tragicomic retelling of the Wizard of Oz story from the Witch's point of view, the Witch accepts her fate not with melodramatic wailing but with grim resignation, calmly singing "And I thought that I had the secret to life, but I don't, do I?" Fury doesn't succumb to melancholy - the songs "Sweet Heart" and "Love Today" find inspiration in love without being sappy, and "Meathook" encourages defiance in a one-sided relationship ... Fury knows pain can be a source of strength, and on The Thing That Feels her characters grow stronger by the minute."

- Michael Toland (Austin-American Statesman)

"...Fury's debut full-length disc (there was a 5-song EP Soul Poison in 1998) displays an artist with tremendous potential. With the exception of two cuts, Fury accompanies herself only on piano and multi-tracked backing vocals. The overall effect is haunting ... Fury's imagery is sometimes obscure, and at other times quite graphic (No meathook is as bad as a hook in the heart / A hole through the skin will not make you whole) ... The best moments on the record are the stellar two tracks that complete the album; "Away" is a love song to a drowning man and "The Vampire Waltz" a bizarre tale of seduction. Both burn with passion..."

- Tom Semioli (Amplifier)

"The Thing That Feels is utterly amazing..."

  - Neile (Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music)

Average Customer Review: 4